After many tries at bringing the XFL to life, the ‘Xtra fun league’ will finally kick off in 2023. Vince McMahon’s baby couldn’t meet his vision and dreams for the league, but having sold it to the current owners, it will fill McMahon with pride to see his vision see the daylight.
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The XFL is a fan-first professional football league that had its seeds sowed all the way back in 1999. Unable to sustain it McMahon called it off back then before reigniting this flame in 2020.
After burning through $200 Million over this passion project, McMahon had to call it a day on this league yet again as Covid-10 spoilt his plans. Finally, the former WWE chairman sold this for a bargain to Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and sports enthusiast investors RedBird Capital Partners.
Also Read: Does WWE Icon Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Own The XFL?
The XFL is here to stay
With the trio investing just $15 million into this league compared to McMahon’s numbers, they seem to have got a bargain deal. The XFL will kick off finally and will ensure 46 out of 52 weekends of professional football being telecasted throughout the United States.
The league will obviously be below the NFL in terms of skill and talent, which will lead to lower revenue generation. However, it will offer opportunities to some of the college athletes that can’t make it to the NFL to continue their passion for the sport.
Vince McMahon shut down the XFL 3 years ago after reportedly burning through $200M.
But Dwayne Johnson & his partners purchased the assets for $15M out of bankruptcy, and the league officially returns today.
Add in the USFL, and 46 of 52 weekends in 2023 will have pro football. pic.twitter.com/hoYdyMn7o7
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) February 18, 2023
The XFL will have significantly lower payouts, with the average base salary of an athlete being close to $60,000. Quite less compared to the NFL, marquee players will definitely draw fatter checks that could be in six figures in the XFL. Given it’s the first year, with more viewership, these numbers could see a hike over the years as the sport progresses.
How it works
The XFL is designed to be a pure entertainment sport. The rules will differ from traditional football, in an attempt to make it a more engaging sport for fans to watch. Having secured broadcasting rights, the league will air on national TV as well in order to build on its fan base.
The XFL will comprise 10 teams. Each team will have close to 50 athletes, hence enabling 500 more athletes every year a chance at pro football. Divided in the North and South pool, the XFL will see each team play 10 games before the playoff round. The playoff round will have two games that will decide the Championship game. They will hold the Championship game on May 13.
While new things can be exciting, the owners of the league will ensure they do all the things right to get their ROI. The league will be exciting for football fans and could definitely act as a feeder league for the NFL.
Also Read: What is the XFL and how is it different from the NFL?
